CONSTRUCTIVE AUCTION FROM THE BALANCING SEAT
None vulnerable, as South you hold (Tuesday 18 Feb)
8
KJ8x
AQJx
KQ8x
West opens 1C, passed around to you. Plausible alternatives are Pass, 1D,
1H, and double. 1N is a preemptive underbid, bypassing three suits and
showing only 11-14 (Mike Lawrence high-card ranges, here and thruout).
Doubler is committed to reply cheapest notrump to partner's likely spades,
showing 15-18 at the one-level or 17-18 at the two. You don't have 17,
and the singleton spade is another flaw opposite likely spades. With 12
points to share North-East, partner will rarely jump to 2S, but will often
be strong enough to compete there, or long enough to correct there, so the
auction will much too often continue
1C -- -- X or 1C -- -- X
2C 2S -- 2N -- 1S -- 1N
-- ? -- 2S
So double is out.
Here are four arguments for 1D over 1H. First, partner can introduce
hearts cheaply over 1D (unfortunately, Standard partner needs five hearts
or four good ones to do so). Second, bid your best suit if you expect to
rebid notrump. Third, you prefer a diamond lead if the auction continues
1C -- -- 1D
1S
and the opponents play in either black suit (probably spades). Fourth,
partner will raise hearts more aggressively than diamonds with three bad
ones, and you don't want that raise here.
Here are three arguments for 1H over 1D. First, hearts is your most
likely game and 1H suggests that strain pronto, before lefty bids spades.
Second, 1H ensures that hearts --and probably diamonds or notrump too--
will be played from your side, with opener bidder on lead. Third, 1H is
the most efficient start to show both red suits, or even all three suits,
whereas Standard partner will not show four hearts over 1D.
Three arguments for some action: First, "none vul." is the favorable
occasion to "bid one higher" in partscore competition. Second, on average
you hold 2-4 points more than lefty and partner holds 2-4 points more than
righty, so there will be several games in a dozen such deals. Third, your
partner will probably lead spades if you pass.
Two arguments for Pass: First, your tricks are slow ones --picture cards
scattered in three suits. Second, your partnership is inaccurate in
balancing auctions. Right? For example, since there are good arguments
for both 1H and 1D, each will prove unfortunate on many deals. "Result
merchants" will find another argument in the actual hand.
On Tuesday night I chose diamonds. The auction continued
1C -- -- 1D
-- 1S --
and I rebid clubs, natural (new suit would be forcing, often a notrump
probe; jump raise would be strong). With only 4-4, that was ridiculous
and certainly inferior to 1H...2D (arguments for 1D fit the notrump rebid;
arguments for 1H fit the two-suiter). Partner preferred diamonds
1C -- -- 1D
-- 1S -- 2C
-- 2D --
and now I could not show hearts without transferring the likely notrump
contract to partner. So I "3rebid" two notrump myself and played there.
REVIEW OF THE AUCTION
1C -- -- 1D
-- 1S -- 2C
-- 2D -- 2N
-- -- --
K96xx
Tx
Kxx
J9x
AQJx T7x
Qxx A9xx
xxx xxx
ATx xxx
8
KJ8x
AQJx
KQ8x
I expected better from partner's change of suit: *spades* too weak to
overcall 1S, rather than *hand* too weak. (Mike Lawrence agrees that
"hand too weak" for a one-level overcall is too weak to change balancer's
suit, but he suggests that the change of suit is best used conventionally,
perhaps to show both suits.) So standard partner should raise diamonds or
pass with the actual hand. Finally, I would correct 2N to 3D with that
good 3-card support, semifit in clubs, weakest in the unbid suit.
In summary, I judge in retrospect that the reasonable Standard auctions
are
Pass-1H or Pass-1D or Pass-1D or Pass-Pass
Pass 2D-2H Pass
2S-2N
3D
In the third case, righty should balance, leading to something like
1C -- -- 1D
-- -- 1H --
-- 1S -- 1N
-- 2D
THE PLAY
[Scroll down to see the full deal again.]
Fascinating. We should score 8 tricks in either Major, 9 in either minor,
for +110 declaring any suit thru the 3D level; +150 defending 1C or 2M.
Exchange the spade 10-9 and notrump would be our best strain, but it is
our *worst* strain thanks to that 10 and the power of the opening lead.
K96xx
Tx
Kxx
J9x
AQJx T7x
Qxx A9xx
xxx xxx
ATx xxx
8
KJ8x
AQJx
KQ8x
Lefty made a good decision to attack dummy's probably weak spades (albeit
not so probably against my partner as against Mike Lawrence!). Indeed,
s/he chose the best lead, the queen, and continued low to the ten s/he
could "see" across the table when everyone followed low. Righty won the
ten and made the heart switch s/he could "hear" in my fatuous club bid, so
they had the pleasure of winning the first three tricks with queen, ten,
queen, while holding onto the three aces.
Who led the queen and continued low to the ten? Was it EMBA President
Bill Hunter on a rare visit for the special "Junior Fund" game? Or some
younger and more frequent player at the club?
So sorry to come to the bottom of the page just now. You must pay for
that valuable information in masterpoints.
----Paul Wendt, 21 Feb 97